Moorland fire breaks out near railway line

Firefighters attended a blaze that broke out close to a heritage railway line in the North York Moors and spread to more than 100 acres of moorland.

Crews were called to the lineside blaze at Eller Beck Bridge near Goathland at about 15:00 BST on Saturday, according to a North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson.

They said firefighters remained at the scene overnight and would continue to tackle the blaze on Sunday morning.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway suspended services on the route at about 16:05 on Saturday and the line remained closed between Levisham and Goathland on Sunday.

Firefighters from Whitby, Goathland, Pickering, Lythe, Scarborough, Danby, Malton and Kirbymoorside attended the incident and were supported by a fire service from RAF Flyingdales.

North Yorkshire Police warned drivers against stopping to take photos and videos of the fire along the A169 between Whitby and Pickering, as they were causing an obstruction.

A spokesperson for the heritage railway said buses had been arranged to return all visitors to their stations on Saturday.

Paul Middleton, North Yorkshire Moors Railway director of engineering, said investigations into the cause of the fire were continuing.

He said it was "unlikely" that the line would reopen on Sunday morning.

"There are no through trains until further notice, the line will be reopened as soon as it is safe and practical to do so," he said.

"In the meantime, passengers are encouraged to use the shuttle services."

He said the reopening of the line would be announced on the railway's website and social media channels.

"We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused, the safety of our passengers, staff and volunteers is always our top priority," he said.

The organisation previously suspended its steam train services after a series of lineside fires.

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